22 Bikes From Interbike 2015

This year's Interbike show was a little mellower than in the past - it felt like a year of slight tweaks and refinements, rather than radical departures from what's already being done. That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of interesting bikes on display, though, and what follows are a few that stood out.

176 Comments

You know... I just realized that the evolution of mountain bikes is a lot like an aging body. The (spare) tires are get fatter, the chiseled angles are getting slacker, the ride is plusher (softer), maintenance and replacement parts are expensive, and no one wants my old frame.

Maybe you should ask who makes the bike ! you maybe surprised at the answer. Does Pivot have it own factory or are they just another assembler. When looking at a bike this is the very first thing you should always ask.

I happily own the 2015 voltage fr 730 and i love it, cheap enough so you can ride the sh*t out of the entry level parts then upgrade to your likings overtime, i am thinking about running a dual crown like the 720 showed in the pic

And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one, And I want that one..........

heard there will be an announcement later in the season from the tech when i dropped off my 66CR for work , seen images of the 2016 stuff while i was there as well , some nice stuff i wish them all the best

Truth is that if you forget about the idiotic switch from 26" to 27" wheels there has been nothing new in the industry for a long while. Year of refinement? I would call it "the decade of refinement (and irrelevant changes)!"

They've been around already for 10+ years, but the relatively recent proliferation of dropper posts is the best "new" innovation in a while. I mean, they are flat out a game changer.

Generally speaking, I would say an overall weight loss in longer travel bikes mostly spurred by use of carbon is pretty cool too. We were pretty much riding these exact same "enduro" bikes in the early 2000s, but they just weighed close to 40 pounds and were called "freeride" bikes, like the Kona Stinkys, Norco VPS, Spec Big Hits, etc. Now we get light weight and capability, but we just have to pay an arm and a leg for it.

I think the suspension components have gotten a lot more refined and reliable. Agreed on droppers; and then don't forget carbon rims, slack geometries,short stems/wide handlebars. It doesn't look like much until you add it all up and compare it to a bike from 10 (or even 5) years ago.

I would tend to disagree with the suspension being more refined and reliable. Definitely lighter within those contexts, but the Marzo coil sprung stuff a decade ago was as good as what's out there today, just a lot heavier. And pedaling freeride guys were praising slack geo, short stems, and wide bars a decade ago too, but we've just been fortunate to have all of those things translated into lighter weight, better pedaling, trail bikes now.

I have the privilege to know Brent Foes since I live near the Foes shop. They sell as many frames as they can build. Not a big company by any means, but there bikes are amazing. I have an FXR275 and even at 7" of travel, its only 31lbs, and can ride anywhere. If you ever get a chance to ride a Foes, do it...

Man, some of those colours are so bloody sweet, that Scott Genius LT 700 looks proper nice. Even the Marin looks good. Looks like they've finally sorted their design after the weird direction they went in the last couple of years.

I'll tell you, one thing I'm hyped for is that new Norco Rampage. I had a 2009 Norco 125, which was actually the exact same frame as last year's Rampage. That bike had such perfect geo. it was stable at speed and in the air, yet still agile and able to be thrown around. Also durable as fuck. Mounts for both ISCG03 and 05, as well as a derailleur hanger made it crazy versitile. I looked at the numbers, and pretty much the only changes they made was adding a tapered head tube. That isn't a bad thing at all, that frame geo was spot on. That is one bike I'll be getting, I fucking loved that thing and sometimes regret selling it.

Agreed. I remember the boutique bike market from 5-8 years ago dominating the scene and directing the progression of mtn biking. At present IMHO it's the big(ger) bike manufacturers who are producing the bikes that I want to purchase and feel like owning one is a more reliable investment in relation to warranty etc. than the smaller market bicycles.

Sorry but that devinci has fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, I ride a scott LT 710 and love it but the scott voltage is not photo genic as its not that nice in the pic but looks better in real life . For a short travel bike the rocky mountain looks nice.

That's a tough call, i'd get the Transition, it's received nothing buy amazing reviews. I love Knolly also but I heard that the 4by linkage they use is creaky and noisy when it gets dusty. Most bikes follow that trend but i've heard the Transition is pure silence. Plus Transition's customer service is fucking awesome. Call them and Lars just might pick up. Surprise!

@dimetera413. The opposite is true. While all of my friends bikes (Rocky Mt., Santa Cruz, Intense, Speshy) are creaky and noisy, my two Knollys remain solid and creak-free at the pivots after nearly three years with no maintenance. I always check the bolts, but they are never loose. The only noises the bike has experienced came from other sources.

Lenz sports know what's up. They were making big hitting trail bikes before it was cool. Hopefully belt drives and internal gear boxes become cool soon! That would be a real advancement none of this improving a technology that is already superseded

1 its hydroformed because i don't think you can make stuff like that out of alu any other way and 2 it would be unlikely with the design of the suspension but if it isnt it would rotate around the axle

Kinda, it's just a bit old school rather than long front centre that is the trend. No, a 50mm stem is likely not going to work well on a Mach 6 but they pedal very well and I've never read a bad word about them. They are about the shortest front ends on the market these days for their given size. They obviously work well for many riders.

I think the Mach 6 is a great climber. It doesn't ascend like an XC bike, but that ain't because of its seat angle! The DW makes it efficient, and I thinks it's great scratching up technical climbs. The slack geo does mean I need to creep forward on the saddle to keep the front end stable, but that's true for most bikes in its class. I've been riding a long time, and only recently made the adjustment from old-school XC geometry (hello 110 mm stems!), but I love climbing on this bike. Would not be my choice for all-day fire road rides, but for the climbing you do as part of technical trail rides, it's just fine. And I do have a 50 mm stem on it. :-)

Ugly maybe but it's awesome to see Lenz still in business I remeber when I was a 12 year old boy I saw an advert for Lenz in a magazine. I thought to myself that there bike is the future! 12 years later we finally get what we deserve big hitting trail bikes or enduro if you must.